Facts about the 1960s - USA
This is a collection of interesting and fun facts about the 1960s in the USA.
Population
The population of the USA in 1960 was 179 million.
In 1969 the population had risen to 203 million.
In 2022 the US population was recorded at 332 million.
Presidents
Arnold Newman, White House Press Office (WHPO), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- 1953-61 Dwight D Eisenhower (Republican)
- 1961-3 John F Kennedy (Democrat)
- 1963-69 Lyndon B Johnson (Democrat)
- 1969-74 Richard M Nixon (Republican)
The 1960s was a good decade for the Democratic Party. John F Kennedy won the 1960 election defeating Richard Nixon, who was Eisenhower's Vice President. Lyndon Johnson won the 1964 election after Kennedy's assassination. However, the decade ended with Nixon finally making it to the White House.
Prices and inflation
$1 in 1960 would be worth $10 today. At the end of the 1960s $1 was worth $8. Inflation caused by the cost of the Vietnam War damaged the value of the dollar in the latter years of the 1960s.
Earnings
Median family income in the 1960s:
- 1960 - $5,835
- 1965 - $6,957
- 1969 - $9,433
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1971, page 316
Despite the rising inflation people were better off in 1969 than they were in 1960. Median family income adjusted for inflation (in 2023 money) rose from about $58,000 to around $75,000.
See How much did things cost in the 60s? for more about prices and inflation in the 1960s.
Consumer goods
Photo courtesy Orange County Archives, licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
| Product | 1960 | 1965 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Television | 90% | 94% | 99% |
| Television (Color) | 0% | 5% | 36% |
| Radio | 96% | 98% | 100% |
| Refrigerator | 98% | 99% | 100% |
| Washing machine | 83% | 87% | 91% |
| Vacuum cleaner | 83% | 87% | 89% |
| Toaster | 70% | 81% | 89% |
| Coffee maker | 53% | 69% | 83% |
| Freezer | 22% | 27% | 29% |
| Blender | 8% | 11% | 26% |
| Dishwasher | 6% | 12% | 21% |
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1971 and 1972
Growing affluence in the 1960s saw most families having what we would consider basic essential appliances today.
Radio ownership was almost universal at the start of the decade and television ownership was almost universal by the end of the 1960s.
Color TV was the new luxury, but 36% of households had one by 1969.
Washing machines were not universally owned in 1969, perhaps due to the popularity of launderettes. Fridges were in nearly every home in 1969, but freezers were in less than a third.
Smaller appliances, like coffee makers and toasters, were very popular by the end of the 1960s.
In 1960, 75% of households had a telephone. Ten years later it was 92%. (1)
Television
Nearly every US home had a television in the 1960s. Color television broadcasting started in the US in 1954, but hardly any homes had a color set in 1960.
The first satellite broadcast was in 1962 from the Telstar 1 Satellite.
The largest worldwide TV audience was for the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. 600,000,000 people tuned in. [2]
The most popular US TV shows in the 1960s were:
- 1960-1 - Gunsmoke (season 6) (CBS)
- 1961-2 - Wagon Train (season 5) (NBC)
- 1962-3 - The Beverly Hillbillies (season 1) (CBS)
- 1963-4 - The Beverly Hillbillies (season 2) (CBS)
- 1964-5 - Bonanza (season 6) (NBC)
- 1965-6 - Bonanza (season 7) (NBC)
- 1966-7 - Bonanza (season 7) (NBC)
- 1967-8 - The Andy Griffith Show (season 8) (CBS)
- 1968-9 - Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (season 2) (NBC)
- 1969-70 - Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (season 3) (NBC)
Cars
In 1960 there were 57 million cars on US roads. By 1969 the figure had risen to 78 million. Of those 62% were under five years old.[3]
Music
The best-selling pop records from each year of the 1960s in the UK were:
- 1960 - 'Theme From A Summer Place' - Percy Faith
- 1961 - 'Tossin And Turnin' - Bobby Lewis
- 1962 - 'I Can't Stop Loving You' - Ray Charles
- 1963 - 'Sugar Shack' - Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
- 1964 - 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' - The Beatles
- 1965 - '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' - The Rolling Stones
- 1966 - 'I'm A Believer' - The Monkees
- 1967 - 'To Sir With Love' - Lulu
- 1968 - 'Hey Jude' - The Beatles
- 1969 - 'Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In' - 5th Dimension
Source: 'Top 1000 UK singles' by Paul Gambaccini, Tim Rice and Jonathan Rice, published by Guinness 1993
Read more:
References
[1] Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1972, page 494
[2] The Guinness Book of Records, Guinness Superlatives Ltd 1970, page 106
[3] Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1971, page 537
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